1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system for holding a magazine in a firearm and, more particularly, to a magazine system that is adaptable for either right-handed or left-handed release of the magazine from the firearm.
2. Description of the Background
In the type of firearm referred generally to as an automatic firearm, that is, not a revolver or lever-action, there is typically provided a release mechanism for releasing a spent magazine. The cartridges are arranged in a stack in the magazine and are pushed upwardly by a spring into the breech of the firearm for automatic firing. Such release mechanisms are preferably actuable by the thumb of the user, because when such firearms are utilized in a combat situation it is of utmost importance that a spent magazine can be ejected or released by the shooting hand so that the free hand can quickly insert the full magazine to continue the firing of the gun.
Various kinds of magazine release mechanisms are known, and one kind of mechanism that has been proposed permits the magazine to be released from either side of the handle. That is, the release mechanism extends sufficiently on either side of the gun so that it can be actuated by the right thumb or the left thumb depending upon the handedness of the user. Examples of this kind of release mechanism are shown in German patent DE No. 29 05 770 and in British patent GB No. 2,137,321. A principal problem that has been found with this type of release mechanism, especially when such mechanisms are intended for pistols used in combat environment is that when the pistol is pulled from the holster using the shooting hand the pin catches and plates on the holster can catch on one or both of the release mechanisms and the magazine is released and falls out of the firearm. This of course is a undesirable situation since it leaves the firearm with only a single cartridge in the breech, which can be dangerous to a soldier's life in combat.
The second kind of known magazine release is one in which the magazine holder is designed so that the weapon can be used and the magazine released with either the right hand or the left hand provided that some disassembly and rearrangement of the parts is performed. This disassembly is permitted because it is highly improbable that the same weapon will be used by a left-handed person and a right-handed person with only a brief interval between the two uses. For example, if the weapons are stored in an armory or weapons room and are then distributed for use without selection, there must be a certain amount of preparation necessary before use, such as cleaning, loading and the like, which will permit the magazine release mechanism to be changed over to the appropriate side of the gun. An example of this kind of reversible magazine latch is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,311, in which a latch that is movable transversely relative to the longitudinal axis of the magazine is arranged in a through hole formed in the handle of a pistol. This latch has a domed latch button at one end that protrudes beyond the surface of the frame, and the latch is retained in the through hole by a threaded element. More particularly, the body of the latch is provided with an internal thread that has threaded thereinto a threaded collar that seats in a recess in the handle to retain the sliding latch in the frame. In order to limit the extent of travel of the moveable latch element, a pin is fitted radially in the latch element and cooperates with a slot formed in the frame of the pistol. Thus, the moveable portion slides back and forth within the body to an extent determined by the pin. A detent is provided to interact with one of two slots formed in the magazine. The latch mechanism can be disassembled, removed, and then reinserted from the opposite side into the through hole, in order to change the orientation of the domed release button.
Although this reversible magazine latch consists of only two subassemblies, these two subassemblies are complicated and have pins and detents and the like extending therefrom that make it difficult to easily disassemble and reassemble the latch mechanism. For example, the outer body is unthreaded from the collar and the moveable element and the two frame pieces are removed from the opposite directions, then upon reassembly the moveable element must be inserted not only into the through hole in the frame but then it also must be positioned inside of the outer body, which has also been reinserted into the through hole. Moreover, it is possible to introduce only slanted magazines without a trigger top with such a construction as known heretofore.